French 202 in ADMN-211B (MWF 11:15-12:20):

Intermediate French

This syllabus is available on the web: https://sites.google.com/a/plu.edu/french-202-spring-2014/

☁
☂

Materials

Required purchase:

St. Onge, Susan and Ronald St. Onge. Interaction: langue et culture — with iLrn Printed Access Card. 8th ed. Heinle/Cengage Learning, 2012; ISBN: 9781111879617. When registering online for the course, use the course code FNFEGM963. You will also need a book code, which comes with your purchased materials.

This course completes the intermediate French sequence begun in French 201, which also used this edition of Interaction and Miquel's Vocabulaire progressif du français.)

All work in this class will be in French—well, almost all. With infrequent exceptions like this syllabus, all communication will be in French. You will endear yourself to the instructor if you consider the classroom a French-language zone (une zone de langue française) where use of other languages is an awkward if politely tolerated presence (une présence maladroite mais tolérée poliment) except in exceptional circumstances, like the implosion of cyberspace or the collapse of the euro. (But don't worry: it's always appropriate to say Comment dit-on « blablabla » en français ? or Qu'est-ce que « blablabla » veut dire [en anglais] ?)

The goals of French 202 are:

First, to develop your ability to speak and write correctly and effectively in French, and as much as possible authentically; to help you master elements of grammar essential to communicating effectively in French; to enlarge your vocabulary in French in a systematic fashion; to enhance the accuracy of your French pronunciation; and to make you more aware of the cultural, social, and intellectual dimensions of communication in French.

Second, French 202 seeks to give you: insights into the background and values of Francophone cultures, especially French culture, with, as an organizing theme, a special emphasis in the class on the decade of the 1930s, and some knowledge about how French culture has influenced American culture.

Third, this course aspires: to enhance your ability to analyze and compare ideas and opinions, both your own and those of others (comme tous vos cours universitaires ! ) through contemplation of authentic works of literature and film and discussion of them, to deepen your acquaintance with conventions of genre, the influence of history, and the progress (enfin, espérons ! ) of ideas, and how these affect and shape human experience (heureusement ! ); and though this is sometimes difficult in second-year French, to practice challenging assumptions intellectually, reflecting upon different perspectives, evaluating and explaining different viewpoints on complex issues, and defending judgments (si possible, et si ces jugements sont dignes d'être défendus ! ). In addition, intensive work with the French language at this level will give you new perspectives on your own mother tongue and will also stimulate your reflection on language itself. Should you succeed in doing all these things, you will be way ahead of the instructor and you will be able to proceed directly to Go and collect $200 (worth 147.62 euros on January 22, 2014, the date I am preparing this).

In the fourteen weeks of this course, you will 1) work through the second half of a popular second-year French textbook and half of a systematic review of practical French vocabulary; 2) read in its entirety a French play about the Trojan War that is not really about the Trojan War at all (La guerre de Troie n'aura pas lieu; 3) watch a recent feature-length film set in Paris about ambition and dissatisfaction (Fauteuils d'orchestre); 4) study in great detail a murder mystery set in 1930s France (L'affaire Saint-Fiacre) and 5) acquaint yourself with a few of the critical notions that French culture has contributed to the Zeitgeist (Zut ! pardonnez mon allemand ! ). Along the way, you'll do countless exercises, write and revise six compositions, make two class presentations with one or two other students, one based on a 1930s advertisement and another on a subject of your own choice, engage in a 30-minute conversation with a French-speaking interlocutor living in another country, and take a midterm and final exam.

This semester I've decided to give to each student a copy of the Collins French Concise Dictionary (5th U.S. ed., 2010), which is yours to keep and treasure. The lexicographical material in the dictionary is also available online. I hope you'll keep this dictionary at your side as your read and write. It also includes an extensive grammatical apparatus that you may find valuable.

We will cover five chapters in Interaction, devoting the first two classes of each two-week period to the chapter material. Before Monday's and Wednesday's classes, which will focus on language, you'll be required to study a certain number of pages in the textbook and go online to the iLrn website before class to do six exercises from the Student Activities Manual that are based on these pages in the textbook. Our course website will present the exercises as "due" on the day of the class. You should be able to do them until the end of that day. However, I expect you to have done them before class. Some of these are written exercises with right and wrong answers, some demand a little writing, some require you to listen to and answer questions, and some require you to make a brief recording (some could be done with a partner, but experience has shown that this is too difficult to organize so you'll be doing them on your own, playing both speaking roles if appropriate). If your own computer is not equipped with a microphone, you'll need to do those in the Language Resource Center (on the 3rd floor of the library) or with some other appropriately equipped device.

In addition to these exercises, there are exercises in the textbook that we'll work on in class. You should bring your copy of Interaction to every class (except Friday classes after the midterm). I'll also be supplementing them with many exercises of my own devising.

In general, every class will begin with a few minutes of work on two or four pages of a different book, Miquel's Vocabulaire progressif du français avec 250 exercices : niveau débutant, which you should have worked on before coming to class. You should also bring this book to every class.

When we are working on one of the textbook chapters in Interaction, that is, on Mondays and Wednesdays, after working on Miquel we'll often have some general conversation about a chapter-related theme which you will have worked on before class, and we'll then work on the language points emphasized in that chapter. You'll have studied the material in the book to prepare for class, and many supplementary exercises will be handed out and done in class.

In addition, every Monday, except in the last week of the class, you'll turn in a French composition—either a first draft or a revision. The subjects and due dates of these compositions or rédactions are listed below.

Fridays will be devoted to works of literature (though we'll also, as mentioned above, spend some time going over a couple pages in Miquel's Vocabulaire progressif du français). In the first half of the semester, Fridays (le vendredi ! enfin ! merci Dieu ! ) will be devoted to Giraudoux's La guerre de Troie n'aura pas lieu, and in the second half of the class, with L'affaire Saint-Fiacre, both read in their entirety.

Class during the entire sixth week of the class (March 10, 12, and 14) will mostly be devoted to viewingFauteuils d'orchestre, a feature-length film that was marketed in the English-speaking world as Avenue Montaigne (and that is the French film in Tacoma's Thursday-night Sister City Film Festival this year; it will be shown for free in the Tahoma Room of Commencement Hall on the campus of the University of Puget Sound on Feb. 20). It is especially important that you not be absent during the week of Mar. 10-14, because the midterm exam will be largely based on this film.

Another element of the class will be all-in-French conversation with a native French speaker who lives abroad. This will be conducted through a web-based service called Talk Abroad, which started up about five years ago and is used by some fifty universities. You'll be required to pay for one half-hour conversations with an individual you'll choose and at a time that you'll schedule on your own. You should have this conversation during the week of April 14-18. You'll discuss your conversation with the class on April 21 or 23. The Section Code you should use on this website for our course is Jense2014-473849. The theme of the conversation will be on the theme of words and images. You should register on the Talk Abroad website and schedule your first conversation as soon as you can, but definitely before spring break. The cost to you should be $15. Conversations involve logging into Skype and then receiving a call at the scheduled time from your partner. (It is possible that the video may have to be turned off because of bandwidth limitations in some countries.) Your partner will record the conversation and later upload it to the website, and I will have access to it. You can cancel and reschedule your conversation up to 12 hours before the conversation time.

Class schedule

Wed., Feb. 5

(1) Introductions and what sociologist Erving Goffman would call presentations of self. (2) Discussion of the course, best study methods, and expectations. Some English, for the sake of clarity. (3) Warm-up review.

Fri., Feb. 7

Before class: (1) Miquel, Vocabulaire progressif, pp. 14-15. (2) Read scenes 1-5 of the first act of Giraudoux's La guerre de Troie n'aura pas lieu. Be prepared to answer the questions handed out in class on Wednesday, and to play your part in costume!

Mon., Feb. 10

Before class: (1) Study Interaction, Chapter 6, pp. 194-204, and do the related assigned exercises on the iLrn website. Be prepared to discuss the questions on the reading. (2) Your first composition is due in class (see below.) In class: (1) Miquel, Vocabulaire progressif, pp. 16-17 & 28-29.

Wed., Feb. 12

Before class: (1) Study Interaction, Chapter 6, pp. 205-14, and do the related assigned exercises on the iLrn website. Be prepared to discuss the questions. In class: (1) Miquel, Vocabulaire progressif, pp. 30-31.

Fri., Feb. 14

Before class: Read scenes 6-9 of the first act of La guerre de Troie n'aura pas lieu and be prepared to answer questions and play your part in costume. In class: (1) Miquel, Vocabulaire progressif, pp. 32-33.

Mon., Feb. 17

No class: Presidents' Day.

Wed., Feb. 19

Before class: (1)StudyInteraction, Chapter 6, pp. 215-21, and do the related assigned exercises on the iLrn website. Be prepared to discuss the questions on the reading selections.In class: (1) The revised, corrected version of your first composition is due in class.(2) Miquel,Vocabulaire progressif, pp. 34-35.

Fri., Feb. 21

Before class: Read scene 10 of the first act and scenes 1-4 of the second act of La guerre de Troie n'aura pas lieu and be prepared to answer questions and to play your part in costume. In class: (1) Miquel, Vocabulaire progressif, pp. 36-37.

Mon., Feb. 24

Before class: (1) Study Interaction, Chapter 7, pp. 230-38, and do the related assigned exercises on the iLrn website. Be prepared to discuss the questions on the reading selections. (2) Your second composition is due in class (see below). In class: (1) Miquel, Vocabulaire progressif, pp. 38-41.

Wed., Feb. 26

Before class: (1) Study Interaction, Chapter 7, pp. 239-46, and do the related assigned exercises on the iLrn website. Be prepared to discuss the questions on the reading selections. In class: (1) Miquel, Vocabulaire progressif, pp. 42-43.

Fri., Feb. 28

Before class: Read scenes 5-11 of the second act of La guerre de Troie n'aura pas lieu and be prepared to answer questions and to play your part in costume. In class: (1) Miquel, Vocabulaire progressif, pp. 44-45.

Mon., Mar. 3

Before class: (1) Study Interaction, Chapter 7, pp. 247-53, and do the related assigned exercises on the iLrn website. Be prepared to discuss the questions on the reading selections. (2) The revised, corrected version of your second composition is due in class. In class: (1) Miquel, Vocabulaire progressif, pp. 46-49; (2) in-class presentation on 1930s advertisement #1 & #2.

Before class: Read scenes 12-14 of the second act of La guerre de Troie n'aura pas lieu and be prepared to answer questions and to play your part in costume. In class: (1) Miquel, Vocabulaire progressif, pp. 76-77; (2) in-class presentation on 1930s advertisement #5 & #6.

MIDTERM EXAM. — NOTE: You should have scheduled your Talk Abroad conversation for the week of Apr. 14-18 by now!

Mar. 22-30

No class: Spring break.

Mon., Mar. 31

Before class: (1) Study Interaction, Chapter 8, pp. 270-76, and do the related assigned exercises on the iLrn website. (2) Be prepared to discuss the questions on the reading selections. (3) Your fourth composition is due in class (see below.) In class: Miquel, Vocabulaire progressif, pp. 90-93.

Wed., Apr. 2

Before class: (1) Study Interaction, Chapter 8, pp. 277-81, and do the related assigned exercises on the iLrn website. (2) Be prepared to discuss the questions on the reading selections. In class: Miquel, Vocabulaire progressif, pp. 94-95.

Before class: (1) Study Interaction, Chapter 8, pp. 282-97, and do the related assigned exercises on the iLrn website. Be prepared to discuss the questions on the reading selections. (2) The revised, corrected version of your fourth composition is due in class. In class: (1) Miquel, Vocabulaire progressif, pp. 98-101.

Wed., Apr. 9

Before class: (1) Study Interaction, Chapter 8, pp. 297-305, and do the related assigned exercises on the iLrn website. Be prepared to discuss the questions on the reading selections. In class: Miquel, Vocabulaire progressif, pp. 102-03.

Before class: (1) Study Interaction, Chapter 9, pp. 312-17, and do the related assigned exercises on the iLrn website. (2) Be prepared to discuss the questions on the reading selections. (3) Your fifth composition is due in class (see below.) In class: (1) Miquel, Vocabulaire progressif, pp. 106-09.

Wed., Apr. 16

Before class: (1) Study Interaction, Chapter 9, pp. 318-21, and do the related assigned exercises on the iLrn website. (2) Be prepared to discuss the questions on the reading selections. In class: (1) Miquel, Vocabulaire progressif, pp. 110-11.

Apr. 18

No class: Good Friday (Vendredi Saint).

Mon., Apr. 21

Before class: (1) Study Interaction, Chapter 9, pp. 321-33, and do the related assigned exercises on the iLrn website. (2) Be prepared to discuss the questions on the reading selections. (3) The revised, corrected version of your fifth composition is due in class. In class: (1) Miquel, Vocabulaire progressif, pp. 112-15; (2) in-class discussions of Talk Abroad conversations.

Before class: (1) Study Interaction, Chapter 10, pp. 363-70, and do the related assigned exercises on the iLrn website. (2) Be prepared to discuss the questions on the reading selections. (3) The revised, corrected version of your sixth composition is due in class. In class: (1) Miquel, Vocabulaire progressif, pp. 128-29; (2) in-class presentation #1.

QUIA exercises from the textbook are optional. Assigned QUIA exercises from the Student Activities Manual must be completed within a day or two of the class on the related subject (due dates are posted on the iLrn website). After that, the site will no longer accept your work.

Recommended: As you do exercises, keep the Cuthbertson verb wheel by your side to review verb forms.

* * *

Schedule of compositions

NOTE: Composition, written or printed out, are due in class (no email submissions accepted) on the day indicated. Triple-space and leave margins on all sides of at least an inch and a half (about 4 centimeters).

15% Two in-class group presentations and one in-class Talk Abroad conversation report

10% Midterm exam

20% Final exam (date and time TBA).

Comments on each of these components:Class participationFaithful attendance and diligent participation are essential. Your attendance and participation will affect your grade. Your participation will be evaluated after every class. You will receive either 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 for each class. Zero means you were absent; 1 means either that you did not bring needed materials, or would or could not participate; 2 means that you scarcely participated or were not adequately prepared; 3 means that you participated in 'ordinary' fashion in class activities; and 4 means that you were well prepared and made worked at learning to communicate in French. At the end of the course the average of these scores will be calculated, and 15% of your grade will be determined by the result, on a conventional 4-point scale.

Workbook exercisesThe workbook exercises will be submitted online via QUIA on the iLrn website. It is your responsibility to monitor the assignments on this site and to keep up with the exercises that are due. Check back periodically to review my corrections.

CompositionsYour compositions may be handwritten or printed from a computer. They should be triple-spaced, with wide one-and-one-half inch margins (4 cm) on all sides of the page. A printed, physical copy must be handed in, in class. No email submissions will be accepted. Compositions will be returned with a provisional grade and partial corrections for revision, the revision being due in class on Monday of the following week for the definitive grade.

Group presentationsAs described above, you'll work with others on two in-class presentations, and prepare alone an account of your Talk Abroad conversation. Your performance in these all-in-French presentations will determine 15% of your grade.

Comprehensive testsThere will be a mid-term exam on Friday, Mar. 21, which will cover chapters 6-7 of Interaction, La guerre de Troie n'aura pas lieu, and the film Fauteuils d'orchestre. This will determine 10% of your grade. A final exam (date and time TBA) will cover Chapters 6-10 of Interaction and L'affaire Saint-Fiacre. The final exam will determine 20% of your final grade.

NOTE: Students must not cheat or plagiarize, and they must not condone these behaviors or assist others who plagiarize. In work in a foreign language, this includes reliance on machine (i.e. computer) translation. Academic misconduct jeopardizes the career of the individual student involved, and also undermines the scholastic achievements of all PLU students in the sense that it attacks the mission of this institution. Students are responsible for doing their own work, thereby insuring the integrity of their academic records. In addition, civil conversation is central to the university's academic enterprise and guided by faculty expertise. The university is committed to protecting the rights of community members to engage in dialogue and express ideas in an environment that is free from harassment, discrimination, and exploitation. This freedom of expression does not, however, entail the freedom to threaten, stalk, intimidate, harass, or abuse. Students are therefore expected to treat every individual with respect and civility. (See Student Code of Conduct, p. 12) An additional note: If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. If you have questions concerning the services available for students with disabilities at PLU, please contact the Office of Disability Support Services, x7206.